I haven't sent my last transcript to LSDAS yet, so I actually haven't seen an LSDAS report yet. Does it not show specific courses on it? I was under the assumption that it does list out your classes, but come to think of it, I hadn't heard anything about that, so that was just my own random idea of how things work.

The major purpose of the Academic Summary Report is that it shows your trend in grades, and it also shows how you stack up against others from your UG institution in the law school applicant pool. For instance, you'll see what percent of the law school applicants from your school scored in the 99th percentile on the LSAT, how many scored in the 20th percentile, etc.

Some schools do, some schools don't. I have never heard of an in-state applicant being less likely to be admitted, but some state schools are required by the state to have a certain percent of the class filled by state residents. Thus your chances of admission are improved if you're in-state, and working against you slightly if you're not. This is the case at UVA, for example, and why I am glad I am a VA resident! See Montauk for more info.

Also, I wonder if anyone knows whether state schools are more or less likely to accept students from in-state or out-of-state.

Some schools do, some schools don't. I have never heard of an in-state applicant being less likely to be admitted, but some state schools are required by the state to have a certain percent of the class filled by state residents. Thus your chances of admission are improved if you're in-state, and working against you slightly if you're not. This is the case at UVA, for example, and why I am glad I am a VA resident! See Montauk for more info.

Dean's cert forms are school-specific and should be included with their application materials, so you'll have to do it separately if you are applying through LSACD. Only about 40% of US law schools require them, so you'll have to research a little.

dubris, I'm in the same boat. Not-so-great GPA, great LSAT. I, too, have 5 years WE. So in my PS, I wrote exclusively about my WE and how it shaped my desire to go to law school. I mentioned undergrad in 2 sentences. I talked at length with an admissions officer at Georgetown who told me that law schools generally place high value on substantive work experience, since these applicants tend to be more focused and know exactly what they want out of a legal education. He said that the more distance you have from undergrad (time and experience), the less your GPA will matter in admissions. He suggested to me, as I will to you, to make the PS bring out the personal qualities that were gained/improved by work experience. Show how your experience has focused your ambitions and motivated you specifically for a career in law. If you can demonstrate a trend of increasing responsibilities in your job, even better. Getting this into your resume without laundry-listing your resume will help emphasize the length of time that has passed since your undergrad and lessen the severity of a poor GPA. If you want some ideas and send me your email address, I can send you my PS.

The cost depends on the word count. Mine was under 900 words, so I paid $99.95. My editor was Emily Knapp and she did a fabulous job. I only needed to change one or two things after her first edit, so I didn't require any more edits.

I think the way it works is that if you have multiple essays for the same school, you can combine the word count and charge it as though it's one essay. So, for instance, if you write a 500-word essay and 2 150-word essays for the same school, you can send them all together as 1 800-word essay. However, if you write 1 600-word essay for one school and 1 200-word essay for a different school, you have to pay for them as separate essays. Make sense?

i like duke's optional essay:"Academic essay — Keeping in mind that we will have your academic transcripts and LSAT score as some evidence of your intellectual aptitude for law school, you should tell us in this essay more about the intellectual contribution you will make in the classroom and outside. You may choose to write about any subject that has engaged you intellectually but this essay should not be a personal narrative. You might, for example, discuss such subjects as a book you have read that had a profound influence on you; an issue in the current public debate; or an individual who has had an impact on your life."

I am applying to Duke, and since the only vaguely minority category I fit into is "women" I will be addressing the Academic essay rather than the diversity prompt. I already talked about immigration in my PS, because that is my reason for wanting to go to law school. One other issue of current public debate that interests me is that the judge in Kobe Bryant's case allowed the accuser's sexual history to be used as evidence by the defense. Since I volunteer for a Sexual Assault resource center, this would be a good way to tie in my interest/activities. However, I am hesitant to write about a legal subject. I've heard so many times that adcoms find opinion statements on some area of the law are shallow and insincere. It's also a hot-button topic, and one that I feel strongly about, so I think maybe I would come across as too emotional. Any ideas? Are they looking for an opinion, a well-reasoned argument, or just an explanation of my interest?

I'll have to agree with the rest. It was worth every dime. Just got my PS back today from EssayEdge. I thought it was pretty stong when I sent it in, but now I think it's phenomenal. This is one I will be proud to send to Top 15 schools.

Sup, where did you get the formulae for UVA and Georgetown? They're not published by LSAC, at least not this year. Also, the one for Duke doesn't make sense. If you plug in a 180/4.0, you still come out significantly under the Total.